Page 45 of The Rancher's Secret Relationship

"He doesn't love me either, Penny." She saw Penny's eyes widen, and a painful smile wobbled over Kady's lips. "So you see, we're both the same—-"

"Are we really?" Penny heard herself ask. "Then did you tell him you loved him, too?"

Kady swallowed hard. "That day...I saw you...when you slapped him."

Penny paled.

"Neither of you saw me, and I...I heard everything—-"

Penny's lips started trembling. The thought of this girl -this girl who had the man she loved -the thought of this girl seeing her sink to her knees and hearing her beg, the thought of this girl watching Slade turn his back on her for the second time—-

Kady saw the tears that started running down Penny's face, and her own eyes started stinging. "I'm so sorry—-"

"No, you're not." She couldn't be. Because now it was too late, and Penny, too, had already taken her revenge.

"I know he doesn't believe that you loved him, but I do. I have to. I can'tnotbelieve you because it would mean my own love for him isn't real, and that's why...when I r-realized why he left you, I also...I also decided to never tell him—-"

Penny pointed to someone behind Kady's back. "You just did, honey."

No.

She whirled around.

Slade.

NO. OH GOD NO.

Penny watched Slade walk away. Saw the other girl run after him. But none of it turned out to be what she hoped for. It didn't make her love him less or hate the other girl more. It didn't even stop the pain. If anything, she was only hurting more, knowing that she had been so selfishly bent at destroying Slade's chance at happiness...that she had refused to care about who else she hurt in the process.

Nothing Compares 2 U

"A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them." ~ Victor Hugo

KADY HAD NEVER LIKEDwatching rom-coms much. Every time she did, she just couldn't picture herself doing any of the things the cute and quirky heroine did in the name of love. In her mind, girls like her were better suited at keeping to themselves. Or at least that was how she used to think and feel...until she saw the man she loved walking away from her...maybe for good.

Just like a rom-com heroine, she threw her heels away to run after him, and just like a rom-com, music from somewhere started playing - Sinéad O'Connor'sNothing Compares 2 U.

"Slade, please let me explain!" She was crying as she called out to him, and she didn't even care how all the other university students at the parking lot were turning to gape at her.

And that, too, was just like a rom-com heroine.

Because apparently, she only needed to find her soulmate, and just like that, she could easily imagine herself doing anything and everything that rom-com heroines did.

"Slade, please!"

But he was just so fast, and seeing how close he was to his truck, she knew there was only one thing for her left to do.

"I know you care for me, and you wouldn't want me to beg, but I'm despe—-" It worked far more quickly than she anticipated,and her words stumbled to a halt when he suddenly swung to face her.

Slade saw the look in her eyes, and it made him sick. "Goddammit, Kady."Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."Don't you fucking look at me like that—-"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed.

"Then stop looking at me like that—-"

"S-Slade, please—-"

"You're right," he snarled. "I would never have wanted to see you beg. Because that's me being nice andnothing else—-"

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